Vegan Fast-Food Innovator Ready Burger Announces 99p Burger Just In Time For Veganuary

Ready Burger is the U.K.’s answer to conventional fast-food chains. It offers 100 percent plant-based convenience food at a price comparable to large franchises. The company has just announced that it will be driving down the cost of its Ready Burger in January.

The signature Ready Burger was priced at £1.99. It was already the cheapest plant-based burger in the U.K., maybe the world. Now, it is being reduced to 99p. The move comes ahead of Veganuary 2022.

Serving up value

The burger features a grilled beef-style patty, pickles, white onion and a mix of American mustard and Heinz ketchup. It is served on a toasted seed-free bun. Patties are a proprietary blend of mushrooms, soy and wheat. The Ready Burger will sit alongside premium burger options on the menu, including the Big Ready, Chicken Challenger and the Texas Stacker. Fries and drinks are available, as are Swirlee desserts. 

The 99p Ready Burger represents an opportunity for curious diners. Launching it ahead of what is predicted to be the biggest Veganuary to date is shrewd. “Price has been the biggest barrier to plant-based eating until now,” said Miller in a statement. “We wanted to offer the world’s first 99p plant burger in Veganuary 2022 to make it even more accessible for everyone to try a vegan diet. We’ll be bringing more world firsts with exciting new menu items in 2022, all at the same prices people have come to know us for, and we have advanced expansion plans with new stores,” concluded Miller.

Speaking exclusively with Green Queen, Miller said: “We’re excited to be challenging some of the major household names in bringing an unrivalled priced ‘plant-based’ product into the market to truly make the decision-making even easier coming into what is suggested to be the biggest Veganuary yet!”

In contrast, the McDonald’s McPlant Burger costs £3.49 and Burger King’s plant-based whopper comes in at £4.79.

Ready, steady, growth

Adam Clark and Max Miller founded Ready Burger to create an affordable and sustainable alternative to conventional convenience chains. Delivering vegan food that tastes good, aligns with halal beliefs, and is cost-effective has allowed for manageable growth. The first location opened in London’s Crouch End in May this year. The second followed in October. Two more sites are scheduled for completion in early 2022. Further locations are in the planning stages.

Earlier this year, Ready Burger announced a successful funding round through Crowdcube. The company raised £2 million through 842 investors. “We are working directly with industry-leading manufacturers to sustainably produce our proteins, allowing us to create products that not only taste outstanding but also give us market acceptable margins on each of our menu items, even at this early stage. These costs will continue to improve as our economies of scale begin to grow,” Miller noted at the time. The Ready Burger price slash confirms that the business model is working.

Franchising opportunities are now also being considered. This will allow independent operators to run their own Ready Burger location and build brand awareness throughout London and beyond. New menu items are currently being developed.

Gearing up for Veganuary

In 2021 it was revealed that a record 582,000 people signed up for Veganuary. This is expected to increase significantly in 2022. In line with growing participant numbers, companies are launching new plant-based products to coincide with the new year movement. 

Lindt has announced the imminent release of two chocolate bars, the Vegan Smooth and Vegan Hazlenut. Likewise, Hancocks Confectionery has increased its portfolio of vegan brands which includes Tony Chocoloney, Moo Free and Bubs.

Lead image generated using Ready Burger product image.